NEW YORK CITY – Courtney Conner enjoys a good parade.

And what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day than at the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

But Courtney, who has a residence in Damascus, PA, isn’t just a casual observer. For the past 25 years she has been on the Peanuts float, waving hello to the hundreds of thousands of guests who line the parade route.

“I started off as a dancer and gymnast in New York City,” Courtney said. “I then started touring with Sesame Street – I did Elmo for two years.”

She said “people kept calling me – I’m a really good size.”

By that, Courtney means petite, and soon she had other gigs.

“A friend of mine who was working for Peanuts called me and I started doing small shows,” Courtney remembers.

And soon that turned into a ride on the Peanuts float, dressed up in costume.

Most recently, Courtney has dressed up as Linus, a character she loves.

“I prefer Linus,” she said. “I see through the mouth.”

Although this year was a little wet, the characters did have see-through raingear and held umbrellas for a bit.

“The hardest thing is you can’t use a bathroom for six hours,” Courtney laughed. “We have to be in costume by 6 a.m. and at the parade site by 7 a.m. We are done just before noon.”

She said that her family usually jumps in a car after the parade and drives to see family in Virginia for Thanksgiving, but this year they stayed home.